The Death of Dick Grayson
by SkinIsACanvas
Summary: Dick Grayson's death affects all of Gotham City, not just the residents of Wayne Manor. He was a superhero even without the mask.


Dick Grayson was dead.

The words flashed across the screen on the seven o'clock news and a hush fell over Gotham in silent shock as tragedy hit the Wayne family yet again. For a few moments, there was only silence like a skip in the ever-beating heart of Gotham's everyday routine. There was an eerily still nothingness that seemed too stationary to those who had lived in the bustling city for their entire lives. There were no tears in those few minutes of stunned numbness. Dick would have liked to experience the calmness that had befallen over the chaotic city he had called home. What he would have liked even better was the fact that he was the cause of such a dramatic reaction.

When the silence broke, it was like a wave crashing on the shore. Tears were present in every household as the entire city grieved such a young, charismatic soul who was ripped so violently from this world. Citizens watched in inexplicable dissatisfaction as the most widely known smile in the city flashed across the screen in an ordinary slideshow that did him no justice. Dick's absence felt like a rotting whole in Gotham's side that had been opened and reopened many times before even though the news had broke barely three minutes ago. This was truly the story of the century.

"It pains all of us here at Gotham News to report that Richard Grayson, son of Bruce Wayne, has died." The newscaster said. Even he was fighting back tears and trying to keep his composure. The details were fuzzy, but the outcome was painfully clear.

Somewhere in the Narrows, a man, Jerry, watches the news in his dingy living room. It's not much, but it's a roof over his and his family's head. Jerry's wife, Diane, walks into the room after putting their newborn son to bed. It's only the second night since they brought him home from the hospital and he still doesn't really have a name.

Jerry remembers being in high school, and boy, what a punk he was his junior year. Seventeen years old and armed with the knowledge of everything or so he thought.

That was the year he was caught vandalizing the side of Wayne's building, the big one in the middle of the city that you could see no matter where you were. It was Gotham's ugly version of the Eiffel Tower. He thought he could pretty it up with a can of spray paint and be on his way without anyone noticing.

So, he was surprised when the Mr. Wayne and his kid showed up.

 _"What do you think you're doing, son?" Bruce Wayne stood above him, tall and almost menacing in the dim light of the late hour. He didn't sound too mad, just tired._

 _"It's pretty obvious what he's doing, Bruce. Maybe you need glasses, old man." His kid told him, laughing and poking the big guy with his elbow._

 _Jerry had a faint recognition when he looked at the kid, chewing his lip until he placed the familiarity. Aha! 4_ _th_ _period chemistry, they were in class together. His name was Ricky? Rich? That didn't seem right…. Dick, that was it._

 _"Hey, Dick. It's Jerry from-"_

 _"Chem! I know you." The smile on his face was calming; the kid was always so friendly._

 _Unlike his father._

 _"I'm going to have to call your parents." Bruce said, his eyes narrowed at the kid. Again, not angry. Just disappointed, like Jerry was his son or something._

 _Shit. Shit. Shit. He was gonna be in so much trouble when Pa got his hands on him after hearing what he did._

 _"Aw, c'mon, Bruce. Go easy on him. We're friends." Dick said and pleaded with Bruce with that friendly smile still written on his face. "If he does it again, you throw him straight into the slammer."_

 _Dick was joking, of course. But Jerry knew if he got caught doing anything like this, he was going to be in a world of trouble far worse than Pa's punishments. HE had priors and that didn't exactly shed light in his favor._

 _"Swear on my mum, Mr. Wayne. It won't happen again. I'm really sorry." Jerry said, his voice shaking a little once he realized he might be getting off a lot easier than he deserved._

 _"This once."_

 _Wow, Mr. Wayne was a pushover._

 _"Thank you so much, Mr. Wayne. You're really saving me here."_

 _"I won't next time." He practically disappeared into the shadows. That was weird._

 _"I hope you find better things to do. I know you think it's cool, but you've already got a record. You wanna throw away your chances over a can of paint?" Dick laughed at the idea, it was ridiculous. "And besides, Batman and Robin are always watching." And he was gone, too. Melting into the shadows just like Bruce had._

 _Kid had a point. With vigilantes in town, he'd never get away with anything ever again._

 _From then on, Jerry had turned his life around, stopped spray painting walls and started (legally) painting murals. He was an artist at heart and he didn't need a pair of handcuffs around his wrist to wear as medals of his work. Dick often came by to see how the murals were doing and promoted them on a number of occasions. Jerry had to think that without Dick Grayson, he could be sitting at Blackgate at that very moment without Diane or his newborn son._

"Richard." Jerry said suddenly.

Diane turned to him, head cocked to the side in confusion. "What?"

"We can name him Richard."

A young girl of nine years old sits in the hospital bed and she goes by the name Mina. It's been a long journey for Mina, battling cancer. She's never really thought of herself as a strong person, too meek and feeble to be up for this fight. Or that's what she thought before, anyway.

Mina clutches her favorite teddy bear to her chest. He's turquoise with matted fur from the tight hugs and the long nights she's put him through. There's a red bow tied around his neck that's pulling apart at the seams but is just as loved as the rest of him is. It took about two weeks of intense planning, changing, and debating but Mina has chosen the name Gray, for obvious reasons.

 _It was an especially difficult day at the hospital and her situation seemed hopeless at this point. In Mina's head, she was no fighter. She was just a little girl who liked the simple things in life, like drawing, dancing, or splashing in puddles. She wasn't cut out for this fight._

 _"Knock, knock!" a voice came from the door, one she didn't recognize._

 _A young man waltzed in the room with a sort of confidence Mina wished she had. He had a cheerful smile on his face that immediately made the room light up as if they were letting go of glowing lanterns, like in Tangled. He walked over to her bed with a bounce in his step and bowed down to her with a giant grin on his face. "Your Majesty, may I sit?"_

 _This guy was silly. She liked that. "Yes, sir!" she giggled out and nodded her head._

 _"My name's Dick. Dick Grayson." He held his hand out for her to shake while holding the other one behind his back. Mina decided he was hiding something._

 _"I'm Mina." She said with a bit of shyness, her head turning away from him._

 _"Well, Princess Mina, I heard that you were having a bit of a rough day." Dick pouted. "But! I decided that I would like to see if I could maybe cheer you up a little bit."_

 _Mina smiled faintly, shrugging. "I guess you could try. I just don't really see the point."_

 _Dick tilted his head to the side and frowned a bit, sensing her hesitation. "What's wrong?" He put a hand on her shoulder and nodded to her._

 _His big blue eyes and comforting hand made Mina feel like she could tell him anything. She kept her hopelessness from her family and friends, knowing that they had too much hope for her to just take away. Truth was, they always had believed in her just a little too much. She always let them down. But this man, nice as he was, was a stranger. He'd forget about her as soon as he walked through the door._

 _"I don't think I'm cut out for this." She admitted, hiding her face in her hands. "This battle with cancer thing, I don't know if I can do this. I'm not strong enough to beat this."_

 _"Now, don't be silly."Dick said and gently coaxed her hands away from her face. "To get even this far, you've got to have a lot of strength in you. That counts for something."_

 _Mina shrugged._

 _"You know, I'm friends with Batman." When he said that, her ears perked up. "And he's been checking on you to see how you're doing. He's pretty impressed with the fight you've been putting up."_

 _"Really?" her big brown eyes filled with dazzling awe._

 _"Really! And he told me that there was something you might really like."Dick said in utter seriousness as he pulled the bear from behind his back and placed it in her hands. "Batman picked it out all special for you."_

 _Mina looked down at the soft animal in her hands, her jaw slightly open in amazement. The Batman had picked this out for her. He checked on her! He was impressed with her._

 _"Batman thinks you can win this thing. And guess what?" The goofy grin was back on his face again; his personality was like a space heater._

 _"What?"_

 _"I agree with him."_

 _Mina launched herself at him, wrapping her arms as tight as she could. He held on to her just as tightly, smiling and laughing as they shared a moment neither one would forget. It was the best hug she'd ever give or receive._

Mina watched from the same bed as the evening news came on, telling her that her hero was no longer part of this world. She, like the rest of Gotham, paused in shock. Her heart skipped a beat and her brain was going haywire with so many thoughts that she couldn't keep up. Then, all at once, the thoughts ceased and her brain was filled with nothing but grief.

From him, she'd learned to keep fighting even when the odds weren't in her favor. She'd learned that there was always hope and that there is more to the situation than what she sees. He'd shown her that she is infinitely stronger than she thinks she is more important than she feels at her lowest. But most importantly, he'd shown her that a good hug can heal more than any band-aid could.

Her heart burst open with overflowing emotion as she was reduced to sobs under the covers. Mina clutched Gray to her chest as tight as she hugged Dick that day, strangling him as if she would lose him, too. It was unbelievable.

He couldn't be dead. She needed to tell him face to face when she went into remission. She needed to see the look on his face as he saw that the girl he had spoken to two years ago was here because of him. And her grief tried to cover up the feeling in her heart that he knew no matter where he was. He knew.

Wayne Manor, in all of its intricate architecture and ancient glamour, was especially somber. Bruce Wayne was nowhere to be found. Alfred was left alone to weep at the bottom of the staircase with the banister that Dick especially liked to slide down. It was too quiet.


End file.
